Micro-moments? They’ve been a hot topic since 2015, when Google first turned brand attention to the fact that consumers’ “near me” mobile searches had surged 34x since 2011. As we wrote at that time, this “near me” proximity impulse search activity finds that “consumer behavior [has moved] to a world of… ‘micro-moments,’ where the expectation is for immediacy of finding and getting what a person wants within an instant of registering their interest online.”

Put simply, if a user is searching for “drugstore near me,” it’s quite obvious that they’re looking for a drugstore now — and that they probably have intent to fill a prescription or make a purchase. In today’s mobile world, the name of the game for marketers is to tap into these “micro-moments” of interest in order to help consumers who are most eager for and receptive to particular messages — because they are already looking to buy a particular item or take an action.

Think ‘Small’ To Think Big

Leveraging these moments of intent is paying off for diverse businesses: Think With Google’s post cites success for not just Booking.com, but also for Clorox and CVS Health, both of which have reallocated serious marketing dollars to real-time mobile.

“We know our customers are busy, and that it’s hard to make health a priority all the time, so we’ve spent the last year finding ways to apply new digital tools to make their experience at our stores faster, easier and more convenient — like our partnership with Curbside, which brings orders out to your car, so you don’t have to haul your sick kid in,” said Brian Tilzer, Chief Digital Officer at CVS Health. “Our most recent announcement is another good example of how we are meeting our customers in these micro-moments. CVS Pay is our new mobile payment solution that integrates payment, prescription pickup and CVS Health’s ExtraCare loyalty program all in one quick barcode scan. With CVS Pay, our customers get more than just payment functionality: they get an integrated, end-to-end solution that simplifies the entire checkout experience.”

In addition to contactless pay, the CVS/pharmacy mobile app allows for setting reminders for taking medication — also accessible on the Apple Watch — and lets users immediately scan and upload new insurance information. In the moment where a customer needs to make an insurance or prescription change, they can do it on their mobile device — no waiting in line at the pharmacy necessary. That’s another part of the micro-moment aspect.

As Think With Google’s Margo Georgiadis concluded, “CVS Health has seen the tangible impact these digital innovations have on millions of people: one-third of its customers use CVS Health’s digital tools, and — according to recent research by the company’s research arm — people who use these tools are more likely to fill their prescriptions and more likely to adhere to their medications. To keep up this success, CVS Health has increased their investment in digital by 5X over the last two years.”